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Dearborn mayor: I tested positive for coronavirus but have recovered

Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly Jr. said he and his wife got the coronavirus, but have recovered.

Speaking Friday to the Free Press, O'Reilly, 71, said he and his wife, Christina O'Reilly, tested positive for the coronavirus in March and were sick for a few weeks, but then later tested negative in April.

"We're now clear," O'Reilly said. "We got through it. ... Neither one of us have any issues anymore."

He said he was not hospitalized and was able to still help run the city during his illness. O'Reilly may be the first mayor in metro Detroit to be publicly known to have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Dearborn, a city of about 94,000 residents, has 74 coronavirus deaths and 669 cases, according to Wayne County data as of Friday evening. The city, which attracts many workers and visitors from beyond its borders, has the third highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Wayne County, behind Detroit and Livonia.

O'Reilly said it's unclear how they got the coronavirus. Christina O'Reilly works in a job that helps people who are unemployed and that may be a source, but they're not sure, O'Reilly said.

He said he and his wife traveled to California earlier in the year to visit his son and grandkids. During the visit, "when things were really blowing up there" with the coronavirus, they flew back to Michigan, O'Reilly said.

"We get there the first day and in California things were starting to really get crazy" with the coronavirus, he said. "We actually came right back home. So we realized that we sort of got a forewarning of what was happening, because we got there and realized, 'Oh my gosh, we got to get out of there.' We got onto a plane that was the last one of the night."

Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly during a press conference at the Dearborn Police Department in April 2016, in Dearborn.(Photo: Salwan Georges, Detroit Free Press)

They visited a Beaumont center in metro Detroit and were told to quarantine themselves, which they did, he said. Later, in March, O'Reilly's wife became sick and tested positive. O'Reilly said he then got some symptoms and tested positive.

O'Reilly said he went through different phases of the illness, having a fever, body aches, and headaches.

"The thing that happens is your body gets a lot of different changes," he said.

"Mine was a little less strong than my wife's was," O'Reilly said. "My wife's lasted a little bit longer. ... I'm lucky and my wife is lucky and we're glad to have gotten through it."

"I'm a happy man because I'm alive," he said. "My wife and I are both alive and healthy. It couldn't have been a better outcome."

O'Reilly said some other city employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. He said he did not know how many.

"I don't think there's very many at all that I'm aware of," he said.

O'Reilly first announced he had got the coronavirus in a Facebook post from the city of Dearborn on Wednesday.

"As of April 28, I am recovered from COVID-19, as is my wife, Christina," O'Reilly said in the statement. "We are very grateful to have made it through this illness, and now feel restored to our usual vitality. All along, I had been directing the city’s public safety operations, as well as all of our financial, information, maintenance and other efforts, while being isolated at home. I was participating in public meetings held electronically, and making decisions that were widely conveyed."

"Christina and I are not sure when we contracted the illness, but know it was before stringent safety measures were widely in place," he said. "My condolences go out to the many people who have lost a loved one. My thoughts also go out to the many people who share my experience with the illness personally, or among their family members."

While he was sick with the coronavirus, O'Reilly said he worked from home.

"I was still able to function in some fashion," communicating with staff, O'Reilly told the Free Press.

"I am back in my office at the Dearborn Administrative Center and once again providing our hardworking city employees leadership o-nsite," he said in the statement. "Being back in the office also means I’m in an even better position to address public concerns, and to engage with you more frequently."

Often known as Jack, O'Reilly has been mayor of Dearborn since he was elected in 2007 after the previous mayor, Michael Guido, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 52. Before then, he was president of the Dearborn City Council for 17 years. He was last reelected as mayor in 2017 for a four-year-term.

As headquarters for Ford Motor Co., other corporations, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Fairlane Town Center, Dearborn is a city that draws thousands from outside.

O'Reilly said some of the coronavirus deaths may come from the city's elderly population in senior citizen homes, a couple of which are run by the city.

"We're working with those who are single and older," O'Reilly said. "We've been going out checking on them. ... Because they're the ones most likely to have a problem."

Beaumont Rehabilitation & Continuing Care in Dearborn has 46 coronavirus cases, one of the highest amounts in metro Detroit among long-term care facilities, according to data on nursing homes from the state of Michigan. Imperial Healthcare Centre (Imperial, a Villa Center) in neighboring Dearborn Heights has the highest amount in metro Detroit, with 72 coronavirus cases.

Other communities in western Wayne County, such as Livonia, which has 119 deaths, have faced challenges with elderly people contracting the virus in nursing homes.

Wayne County outside of Detroit now has 762 coronavirus deaths as of Friday afternoon, according to state of Michigan data.

Another issue facing the city was religious holidays such as Easter and Ramadan. Almost half of the city is Muslim, so the Dearborn police chief and fire chief put out a message asking Muslims not to gather as they often do during the holy month.

O'Reilly said the city's residents have responded well and are practicing social distancing.

"Our citizens have been behaving wonderfully," he said.

O'Reilly said it was a challenge when he was isolated at home and under quarantine.

"You're literally in your house and you can't go anywhere, can't do anything and you have to rely on others to help you," O'Reilly said. "Our grown children would bring food for us."

The city of Dearborn set up a testing site at CVS last month. It is also setting up a testing center next to the Dearborn police station, O'Reilly said.

He is encouraging people to get tested.

Another concern facing the future of Dearborn and other cities is the expected revenue shortfalls because of the economic downturn. He said he has been having meetings discussing how they will deal with decreased revenues for the city.

"One thing I was focused on during my recovery was the spirit of our community," O'Reilly said in his statement. "Dearborn has always been a community that looks out for its neighbors, and one that draws together in genuine support. I am thankful that as we face ongoing challenges, we will continue to work together. I also am thankful — and proud — to be your mayor."

O'Reilly said the experience renewed his relationship with his wife, whom he has been married to for 44 years.

"It taught us to be patient," he told the Free Press. "It also made us stronger. My wife and I just had us. We were relying on each other."